Labyrinth Exploration 101 - Chapter 195
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Labyrinth Exploration 101 Episode 195
Still life(11)
The headquarters of major corporation Seokho.
“Now. Let’s get to work.”
Department Manager Yoon Il-young guided theoretical mage Copyfield and his team members to the laboratory. The spacious and comfortable area was packed with the finest research equipment available, including magic microscopes, multidimensional spectral analyzers, and high-resolution magic scanners.
This was an overwhelming display of capital that couldn’t even be compared to small-to-medium enterprises like Seol Ha-woon’s Retina.
“Do you need any other necessary supplies or support personnel?”
“No. We’re fine.”
Copyfield confidently rolled up his sleeves.
“Let me introduce my team members first.”
The researchers standing behind stepped forward.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jake Allen. I majored in formula structural studies at MIT.”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Jalen Brown. I completed my doctoral program in applied magic studies at Princeton.”
“Hmm~”
Yoon Il-young smiled with satisfaction.
Every single one was from prestigious universities that made you go “Oh, that place? Wow~” just from hearing their names.
Such trustworthy academic backgrounds. Completely different from someone who didn’t even attend university. Even their way of speaking was just so intellectual.
“Before that, we’ll just go through a simple security procedure.”
Security personnel scanned Copyfield and his team members with detectors.
“Yes, that’s done. Bring the orbs.”
When Yoon Il-young snapped his fingers, a staff member brought forward a suitcase.
Click. Click. Inside the suitcase were about twenty orbs.
“I was planning to get around a hundred, but this formula is uselessly popular. If you need more, just let me know anytime.”
“Yes.”
“Well then, good luck. I’ll get out of your way~”
After Yoon Il-young left, Copyfield picked up a Duct Tape orb.
“Doctor. How should we proceed?”
“Nothing special to do. These kinds of formula orbs are… easy.”
Copyfield was a fan of Mitamnan. However, he was almost an anti-fan of Seol Ha-woon. Because he seemed too close to his favorite, Seo Ji-woo.
“Which agency do you think it is?”
Allen asked.
The agency referred to the company that structured this formula orb on behalf of the mage. When a mage first conjures ‘mental visualization’ to manifest a formula, it’s a company that observes it and optimizes it for orbs.
“Well. Probably one of Beacon, Teirak, or Manso. Doesn’t matter which.”
Seol Ha-woon was someone who couldn’t even attend university in the first place. There’s no way he could directly design orbs like this.
“If it’s Beacon, that would be convenient. We’ll find out when we take it apart.”
Depending on which agency’s formula it was, the difficulty of understanding the structure and copying it would vary.
“Do we need to upgrade the formula too?”
“Yeah. We need to make it better than Seol Ha-woon’s.”
Underlying their attitude was a subtle disdain for the mage named Seol Ha-woon.
Seol Ha-woon was certainly a star and celebrity of Mitamnan, but his fundamentals were different from theirs.
Honestly speaking, Seol Ha-woon had no fundamentals.
There was an ‘unbridgeable gap’ between themselves, who had received formal education for over a decade and researched cutting-edge theories, and this overnight mage who couldn’t even graduate high school, let alone university.
“If the function is tape, it should be easy once we understand the formula structure.”
Practical formulas and standardized formulas were completely different domains to begin with.
Especially orbs that provided formulas to ordinary people were a specialized field involving advanced theory and precise technology.
“Let’s go.”
Copyfield placed Seol Ha-woon’s Duct Tape into the tank. The equipment filled with magic fluid operated with a low mechanical hum, and the orb decomposed into a blue glow.
The process of ‘formula orb → formula development → formula manifestation’ was preserved at the ‘formula development’ stage, revealing the formula’s true form. Its structural diagram bloomed within the tank. Lines of magic power intricately intertwined and twisted with each other.
The expressions of Copyfield and his colleagues, who had been smiling, suddenly stiffened.
“….”
Copyfield examined the formula diagram. His team members did the same.
It wasn’t the structure they had expected.
It wasn’t Beacon, Teirak, Manso, or any other Korean agency’s method.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Silence flowed through the laboratory.
Copyfield himself broke that silence.
“…What?”
Something was strange.
The formula he was seeing right now was strange.
“The formula structure is twisted. Is it… defective?”
Copyfield’s frown grew deeper and deeper.
“…No.”
At first glance, the formula seemed twisted here and there, but no.
It wasn’t simply that level.
“It’s not twisted.”
A hollow laugh mixed into his voice. He reached out and rotated the formula diagram this way and that.
A deeper dimensional structure created by complexly intertwined lines.
“This… the formula structure itself isn’t planar.”
Seol Ha-woon’s formula wasn’t a blueprint drawn on a 2D plane.
It was a ‘magic power structure’ composed three-dimensionally, utilizing all XYZ axes.
“A 3D formula? Is that possible?”
Allen asked. Copyfield ran his hand through his hair.
“It’s possible. There was one guy at MIT too. He could rotate formulas in 3D in his head… He was my classmate, and now he’s a professor…”
That was about the youngest MIT professor. Seol Ha-woon was someone who didn’t even attend Magic School.
Does this even make sense right now?
“Then, what do we do? We need to touch it to modify it.”
“…Right.”
Copyfield unconsciously muttered.
“I can’t touch it.”
Still, with the knowledge and experience he had accumulated, he could somehow disassemble and recombine this complex three-dimensional structure to roughly infer the formula’s form and function.
But he couldn’t touch it.
To ‘copy’ a formula required subtle modifications. Otherwise, they’d face a lawsuit.
However, Seol Ha-woon’s incredibly precise three-dimensional magic structure was a work of art in itself. To touch any part of it, they’d have to rewrite it from the beginning.
If they laid even a finger on it, the balance would completely collapse.
Simply put.
“…This crazy bastard put copyright protection on his formula.”
He had completely blocked any attempt at copying.
* * *
Life Game
I became a faithful security guard. I rotated drones, trucks, and monkeys in infinite shifts while repeating patrols, tracking down and subduing all intruders.
I didn’t let a single person through.
Not a single one was sent away unharmed.
At the same time, I consistently did tutoring classes.
[Funds: 2,531,102 Caring]
This is the result. 2.5 million Caring.
Money is truly fascinating. The more I look at it, the more pleased I become. Even though this Caring isn’t something I can actually spend.
I don’t know how much time is left, but it seems I’m ready to start an arms race with Seo Ji-woo.
That aside.
“…It’s about time he comes.”
Research lab, early dawn.
I looked at my wristwatch.
Creak. Right on time, the door opened and Silo entered.
“Yaaawn… Huh?”
Silo was yawning when he spotted me.
“Hello.”
“Ah, Mr. Seol Ha-woon. What brings you here?”
He closed the door. I pulled out a pistol from inside my jacket.
“Move and you die.”
“…Excuse me?”
The atmosphere turned eerily cold.
“From now on, first. Don’t argue with what I say.”
Silo quietly swallowed his saliva.
“Second. Tell only the truth.”
I preheated my magic power.
“Third. Break even one rule, and you die here.”
If he tells lies, I will kill him. No matter how much his face resembles Seo Ji-hyuk, I will shoot him dead.
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
I threw out a very simple certainty. Silo would know what I meant.
He met my eyes and bit his lips.
“…Yes.”
A confession that he was one of the ‘Corrupted Council’s’ pawns.
“Why?”
I was curious about his purpose.
For some reason, his purpose seemed like it would be ‘good intentions.’
“…The magic this school is keeping.”
Silo continued speaking.
“It’s a disaster. Right now the school is attempting to manifest the magic. It’s almost completely finished.”
This is why intruders keep pouring in day after day.
“But right now, more than half of this board of directors has fallen to the ‘Corrupted Council.’ The board intends to hand over the magic entirely to them. And I am…”
“Arcal’s double spy, the only opposition?”
Arcal is a fascinating person.
That narcissist who is aristocratic, neurotic, has an inflated ego, is arrogant, haughty, narrow-minded, wealthy, has enormous pride, and overflows with elitist consciousness, precisely because of those traits, doesn’t fall for any other temptations and rejects ‘evil.’
A person who might appear as a clear villain to ordinary citizens is fighting against a greater evil.
Actually, rather than fighting, he probably just finds it extremely distasteful.
“…Even if you don’t believe me, that’s all I can say. The Corrupted Council. If that magic falls into the hands of those demons…”
Silo’s heart was pounding frantically.
The sequence verification result shows it’s the truth.
Of course, this guy could be a master like Eldia.
But this is exactly something Seo Ji-hyuk would do.
That’s why I believe it so easily.
“I’ll help you.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Look.”
I handed Silo a bundle of magic formulas.
“It’s a formula that will completely destroy them.”
Silo carefully unfolded it. His eyes reading through the formula gradually widened.
“How is it?”
This formula is an opportunity to earn much more money than I’ve made so far.
It might be the last chance to overcome the biggest wall in this labyrinth… to defeat Seo Ji-woo who’s close to a demigod.
* * *
Ding ding ding ding. Roulette wheels and slot machines spin.
Swish swish. Cards are drawn from the dealer’s hands.
This is a casino. Im Hae-jun sits at a table glaring at the dealer. The game is blackjack.
He’s trembling.
Right now Im Hae-jun’s hand is 3, 7, 10. Total of 20.
The dealer’s hand is 3, 7, hidden card.
The odds are much higher for Im Hae-jun himself. He wins as long as the dealer’s last card isn’t an ace.
“Please…”
Im Hae-jun stared at the dealer’s hand.
“I’ll reveal it.”
The dealer’s hand… Ace A
Calculated as 11 points, totaling 21.
Exactly 1 higher than my 20.
“Dealer wins. Thank you for playing.”
“Ah…”
Im Hae-jun collapsed limply.
I’m dead.
My world has crumbled.
“Waaah.”
That’s when it happened.
Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding─ Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding─ Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding─ Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding─
Crazy coin sounds are coming from somewhere. Im Hae-jun turned to look.
It was Seo Ji-woo, as expected. She was making a surprised expression in front of a slot machine.
She’s really pretending to be surprised.
I’m not even angry anymore. I don’t even feel deprived.
“Wow.”
Seo Ji-woo stared blankly at the slot machine spewing out the jackpot.
“…This actually works?”
Just then, she pulled the lever while hoping for luck like she did at the Space Labyrinth Casino.
Of course, unlike then, she did it over a thousand times, but she still succeeded.
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring ]
[ Acquired 30,000 Caring….]
Money is pouring out!
Seo Ji-woo looked back with satisfaction.
“….”
There was Im Hae-jun with puffed up cheeks, glaring with eyes that looked very much like a toad.
“Hae-jun. Looks like you won big too? How much did you win?”
“I got completely cleaned out.”
Just then, casino staff approached. Seo Ji-woo naturally faced them.
“Congratulations. We have something to discuss inside.”
“Yes. Hae-jun. Have fun playing~”
“I said I got cleaned out, what’s fun about playing.”
Seo Ji-woo followed the security staff to the VVIP Room.
“Here’s your VVIP Card. Also, the Suite Room Key, and here are the jackpot payout documents….”
The jackpot amount was ten million caring. But after taxes and various deductions, it came to 3 million caring.
Of course, she was satisfied. Haha.
“Then we’ll deposit it into the corresponding account.”
“Yes.”
After completing the jackpot collection, Seo Ji-woo left the casino.
“Refreshing~”
She was stretching pleasantly when.
“Huh? Seo Ji-woo!”
Someone called out to Seo Ji-woo. She turned to look in that direction.
It was Lee Jun-ho.
“…What the.”
But this guy’s appearance is strange.
“Why did you become a beggar?”
He was wearing rags made by patching together scraps of fabric.
“No, hey Ji-woo. I’m so frustrated, you know? I got totally screwed over.”
Lee Jun-ho showed his occupation.
[Occupation: Beggar]
“My occupation is beggar. Does this make any sense?”
“…Just abandon the occupation and go hunting.”
“Huh?”
Just then, a 7-year-old child approached Lee Jun-ho.
“Hyung. I collected money.”
A child who looks about eight years old. A snotty-nosed kid, but clearly making tribute payments.
Lee Jun-ho gave a bitter smile.
“Ah~ This looks kind of strange, but it’s not abuse or anything like that. I somehow ended up being responsible for these kids. Ji-woo, you know about gang bosses, right?”
“…Good luck with that.”
There’s no need to get involved with a beggar.
As she was about to turn around, tug.
Lee Jun-ho grabbed her sleeve.
“Ji-woo. We met after so long, you should give some charity before leaving.”
At the same time, the little beggar quietly clung to Seo Ji-woo’s leg. It wasn’t just one. Three more appeared from somewhere.
Jun-ho grinned.
“You seem to have made a lot of money? You’re the one who just hit the jackpot, right? I’ll use it for good causes, so donate just a little.”
Lee Jun-ho’s voice gradually became eerie.
Seo Ji-woo looked at the little kids who were about the same height as her knees.
“Sigh. Fine. I’ll give you some.”
She took out 10,000 caring from her wallet.
“…Hmm. Ji-woo.”
Lee Jun-ho accepted the single bill, but still had a dissatisfied expression.
“I’m responsible for 13 kids, you know? The oldest among them is barely 12 years old.”
“Ah, I got it.”
Seo Ji-woo took out three more bills. Lee Jun-ho tilted his head.
“I said 13 kids?”
“…Here. Is this enough?”
She just gave him all the bills in her wallet.
“300,000 caring… Hey, this is really good. Ji-woo, here, take this.”
Lee Jun-ho handed over some kind of bean bullet.
“What’s this?”
“Beggar Signal. It’s like a flare, spill it on the ground when you’re in danger. I’ll come running.”
Lee Jun-ho continued proudly.
“We’re the Hao Gate here. We’re actually managing the security of this street. You’ve never been pickpocketed, right? We prevented it.”
“No-“
“Let’s go, kids! Today we’re eating out.”
Lee Jun-ho gestured and left. Before long, countless children had attached themselves behind him.
“This is ridiculous….”
Seo Ji-woo let out a hollow laugh.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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